OCR Text |
Show LLOYD-GEORGE I MAKESJPPEAL I Settlement of Irish Question H Essential to Speedy Vic- H tory in War. H IRELAND IS NEEDED H Must Be Converted From Dan- H gerous Suspicious Neighbor H to Loyal Comrade. H LONDON, April 27, 2:26 p. m. In H an Important speech at the Guild Hall fl today, Premier Lloyd George discussed H the military situation, the Irish ques- M Lion and other of the major problems M with which the government is now en- M gaged. Tho premier's speech was in M acknowledgment of the conferring on M him of the freedom of tho city of Lon- H Referring to Ireland, the premier said: M "Wo must convert Ireland from M a suspicious, surly, dangerous neigh- H bor to a cheerful, loyal comrade. Set- H tlement of the Irish question is essen- M tial for the peace of the world and es- H scntial to a speedy victory in the war. I appeal to the patriotism of all men H to sink everything for tho one purposo H of getting this question out of tho H After alluding to the organization of H the ministry of munitions, the pre- H micr said: H Real Chance In Fight. H "Now, thank God, our men have a H real chance in the fighL The Btory jH now is very different from what it was H in the early stages of tho war. Be- H fore June, 1915, wo lost 84 guns and H a considerable number of prisoners. H Since that date wo have not lost a H single gun, while we have captured H 400. Regarding prisoners, we have ta- H ken at least ten to one. The tide has H now turned. Victory is coming in- H creasingly nearer. H "During the first eighteen days of H the Somme battle we captured 11,000 H prisoners and eighty-four guns Dur- H ing the first eighteen days of the Ar- H ras battle our captures wero 18,000 H men and 230 guns, whilo we gained H four times as much ground. This jH meant not only ultimate victory. It H meant victory is going to be won at H less loss and our chances are growing M as our equipment is improving and the H Germans know It. That is the explana- H tion of the despair which has driven H them to black piracy on the high seas. H Enormous Food Problem. M "This is the next job we have to H deal with. Our minimum problem is H to feed a population of 45.000,000 in H a country which is not self-supporting, M to provide the necessary material and M food to equip our armies and keep the H seas free for the transport of our IH troops, of ourselves and our allies. M That has had to be done against tho H swarm of pirates moving unseen under H the trackless seas, since tho Germans jH determined to sink all craft indiscrini- H mately without warning. There is no H doubt we have lost many ships, but H they brought America in and I am per- M fectly satisfied with the balance. Anier- H lea, after great patience, came to the M conclusion there was no use of wav- M ing a neutral flag in the teeth of a M shark and she is definitely with us to M put down this menace once for all." M "The best brains of America and M Britain are concentrated on this prob- M lem. There never was a human prob- M lem which was not solved." M Dealing with the effort to make tho 1 country self-supporting, the premier 1 said guarantees to the farmer and tho 1 farm laborer had brought a million 1 fresh acres of land under cultivation. H Germans Are Determined. M "1 do not say that the war Is going H to continue through 1918," Mr. Lloyd- H Georgo said, "but if the Germans knew M that by holding out until tho end of iH 1918 they could win. they would hold H out. If tho German knows that the M longer he holds out the worse It will H be for him, peace will como much ear- M Tho premier said plans were be- B ing made for the harvest of 1918 which H would guaranteo that without a ton M of foodstuffs coming from abroad no M one would starve. But tho country H must help In husbanding foodstuffs. M Tons of Imports Cut Off. H The premier then outlined the steps H already taken by which 11,000.000 tons H of Imports would be cut off and added H that Great Britain would ge three H times, perhaps four times, as many H new ships this year as last. H He continued: 1 "Tho Germans think we arc done H for, but they do not know the race H they arc dealing with. I am confident H that if our present program is carried M out the submarine campaign is beat- H M on H |